Seasons' Change
by Dark Inu Fan
Summary: One-shot collection. Jack is now a Guardian, but what do the others really know about him? Bottom line: They know Jack about Jack.
1. Summer Hibernation

Disclaimer: RotG is not mine... you guys should know the drill by now.

In the month since the last battle with Pitch, Jack had been given somewhat free reign on Santoff Claussen, to explore to his heart's content, and he found himself returning to one particular room more often than others. It wasn't the main workshop floor, where he would fly around, harassing Yeti workers, or the globe room where he would frost the floors and turn the elves into icicles and hang them off of the rails. No, it was a private room in North's private wing, where the Yeti and elves weren't expressively forbidden to enter, but it was generally agreed upon to leave on its own. This room in particular was still quite large, with fifteen foot ceilings and all, but it didn't feel near as large as it really was; what with mahogany paneling on the walls and a plush crimson carpet on the floor. Along one wall was a larger-than-life fireplace that was eternally lit, with an intricately carved and inlaid marble mantle that held sprigs of evergreen and holly with large advent candles nestled firmly in the greenery. Off to one side was a Christmas tree that was at least ten feet tall that was magnificently decorated in a classic fashion, including small white candles and fragile German glass ornaments.

In front of the fireplace was a tastefully overstuffed set of couches and recliners that one could get lost in and honestly reminded Jack of falling asleep in a cloud or snow bank. Against one wall was a simple upright piano that seemed to be put in shadow from the Christmas tree blocking the only light from the fireplace and the dim light from the picture window never quite lit up the remainder of the room, thanks to a storm that was passing through that was not his doing. Sitting on the window seat, Jack turned from observing the room to look outside the window, suppressing another yawn. It was almost June and he had yet to sneak away to hole up for his yearly nap before fall once again called for his assistance to paint the leaves and help ripen the last of the fall harvests. Leaning back, Jack pulled one hand out of his hoodie, drawing with it a small tube with holes in the side. It was a pennywhistle that he had found abandoned some years ago that he had picked up and given a new home.

As much as he loved his new 'family', there were just times when it was too much to be around so many people that could see and interact with him at the same time, and so he retreated to the rarely-used parlor when he started to feel particularly overwhelmed.

Putting the whistle to his lips, he blew a few soft notes that slowly developed into a song. If he had powers like Sandy's, images of a smiling brown-haired girl with a brown and red dress and skates would be surrounding him, full of life and carefree as she skated around a familiar looking pond. Next the scene would revolve into a cabin's main room and a family laughing around a smaller, but equally warm, fireplace as the two children danced with their mother as their father played a tune on a fiddle. The next scene would have been of the girl again, this time tucked into a bed with the blankets pulled up to her chin as the pennywhistle's song morphed into a soft lullaby.

Unknown by the boy, a figure nearly too tall for the door frame stood in the doorway watching the eternal teenager settle even further against the quickly frosting over glass as his posture and fingering with the tin whistle started to slip. "Boy is putting self to sleep, eh, Sandy?" The tall man chuckled softly, directing his comment to a golden man only about a quarter of his height. The golden man nodded with a soft smile, a snowflake, bed, Z and a question mark flashed over his head and the tall man shook his head. "I believe boy has been fighting sleep. I do not know why, but he seems more tired than usual." Nodding, Sandy thought for a moment, and then an exclamation mark sprung from his hair. With his passing knowledge of the boy, and seasonal spirits in general, Sandy had an idea of what the matter was. A calendar picture flipped from January to about April and May with a snowflake beside the months, but the late spring and summer months showed 'Z's instead, which turned back into snowflakes when the months turned back to fall and winter.

"Boy… sleeps in summer?" The tall man trailed off with his own vocal question mark, to which Sandy nodded enthusiastically. "Why has Jack not said anything? It is summer now." Sandy shrugged back with another question mark that floated for only a moment.

As the two talked, the last notes from the instrument trailed off as the whistle slipped from limp fingers. "Ah, boy sleeps." The tall man nodded to himself as he finally stepped into the room, intent on moving the boy to a more comfortable location. As soon as the man stepped close, Jack jerked awake, as if coming up for air. "Jack, why did you not tell us you sleep during summer?"

Staring at the large man without really seeing, Jack rubbed his face tiredly."Hmm? North?" He mumbled, one eye cracking open as he sensed a presence coming closer. Rubbing his eye, Jack sat up a little, absently grabbing his pennywhistle and tucking it back into his pocket. "Did you need me for something?"

The large Russian shook his head, kneeling to get closer to Jack's height. "No, Jack is not currently needed." The man didn't notice flash of rejection as he continued. "But I wonder, what does Winter spirit do during summer?" North asked again.

Caught off guard, Jack shrugged. Unable to come up with a plausible excuse, he simply told the truth. "I sleep. Its too hot to do anything else."

"Do you wish to use room here? I have one with windows that open and balcony for cold air." Not to mention he had sent some of his yeti in to specifically insulate the room so that it would stay the temperature outside without cooling the rest of his residential wing, and had already set it up with furniture and trinkets he thought the boy would like.

Shaking his head tiredly, Jack attempted to stand while yawning, leaning heavily on his staff. "N-no, I have someplace I stay. I don't want to be in the way while I take my nap." If not for the fact that he didn't want to miss anything important, he would have left several weeks ago. His eyelids threatened to stay closed every time he blinked, he was so tired. "So you didn't need me for anything?" He asked again, either because his sleepiness was affecting his short-term memory or just to make sure he could leave without disturbing anything.

North shook his head, unhappy that Jack wouldn't take up his offer, but unable to do anything to stop the boy from leaving. "Neit, you can go if you wish. You do not have to stay if you do not wish." North spoke reluctantly, stepping aside for the youngest guardian.

Nodding in thanks, Jack stumbled out of the room before turning around and giving a sleepy smile. "If something comes up, just ask the wind and she'll wake me up."

North was confused how that would work, but agreed nonetheless. He supposed it was like contacting Bunny by hitting the ground twice. Nature-based spirits, what a strange lot they were, indeed. "Sleep well, Jack." Sandy nodded in agreement, waving a sand-handkerchief and having a sand cruise liner 'float away in the distance'.

"Yeah," Jack smiled absently, "See ya around, Sandy. See you next fall, North." And with that, Jack floated out, carried on the ever-caring breeze to be pulled out through the closest opening window, yawning and handing all the responsibility of flying to his dearest friend the Wind.

(O)

Gah, this is what happens when its 3am and you can't sleep, but want to! Don't worry, there will be more, with better times ahead, and not just sleep on my mind! I want to try my hand at a oneshot series, and this is about the best one to start with. See ya next time! Dark Inu Fan


	2. Winter Shepherd

Sandman is one of the few that can truly say how hard the boy works as he dances among the dark grey clouds of winter, shepherding them like they are sheep and he their master. The young winter spirit floats in midair for a mere moment, surveying his flock immediately below before he dives back in, using the crook of his staff to pull one this way and push that one in another. He makes sure that the snow falls softly, so that it won't damage or scare the sleeping village below.

Once again rising above his flock, the winter shepherd spots the Golden Man that he has seen on occasion and waves before spotting an errant cloud breaking away from the storm and soon chases after. The boy doesn't see the man's fond smile and wave back before he leaves the younger spirit to his tasks. Sandman has already finished with this particular village and is pleased with the thought that the children will wake up tomorrow to the first fun day of snow before the harsh realities of colonial winter settle into their hearts.

As he leaves, Sandman gives a mental nod up to the Man in the Moon, giving his own unique approval for the first guardian's newest creation. They both see great things for the boy. This Shepherd of winter and fun, carefully tending his flocks of clouds as well as nurturing the joy that can be rare to find in this dark season. This Jack Frost was one to watch over.


	3. The Lost Boys

The Lost Boys

"C'mon Slowpoke! Can't keep up in your old age?" Jack razzed, flying between houses, launching between chimneys in London, England.

"Now what have I said about racing Rabbits, mate?" Bunny hollered back, launching himself from the corner of a townhouse roof and taking a playful swipe at Jack's bare foot, missing by a hair.

In the background Tooth giggled, actually collecting teeth along with her mini fairies like all of the guardians were supposed to be doing. While they were taking the task of collecting teeth seriously, it was also an excuse to get together and have some fun competition that, more often than not, turned into a worldwide game of keep-away. Crouching down on a gutter, Jack ducked Bunny's attempt at a tackle as the Pooka overshot his target. "What the…?" Spotting something in the alleyway below, a slow grin crept across his face like frost on a windowpane. Diving down face-first, Jack snagged what looked like a child around the waist with the crook of his staff before launching himself and his cargo up into the air. With a mighty shove of his staff, Jack tossed the boy-child up into the air and into a small flurry of his personalized snowflakes, turning surprised screeching into hysterical laughter.

Surprisingly, instead of the boy falling to earth as gravity took hold, he spread his arms like wings and flew, starting an impromptu game of aerial tag which Jack gladly joined in on. While Jack's flight was graceful and assured of every move, the boy was halting, his flight looking more like controlled falling. But every time that the boy dropped down too low or looked like he was about to crash, Jack would swoop close and pull and prod with his staff until his flying evened out. "Happy thoughts! Happy! C'mon Peterbird, smile!" Jack would almost sing, flying mere inches below the child, facing up with one hand in his pocket, ready to catch the boy should he fall.

Eventually, the duo landed, both in their little world as Jack practically engulfed the boy in a hug, bending over and prodding spots that he knew were ticklish. "Umm… Jack?" Tooth was the first to speak up when she noticed that their youngest was no longer in the race.

Looking around, North was the first to spot the flying duo a few roofs over. "Jack!" North called as the quartet of guardians gathered on the far end of the roof that the young duo had perched on. "Who is young boy?" He asked, startling the two. Immediately, the younger turned with a glint of sharpened steel held in one hand, seemingly appearing from nowhere. His snarl would have been more frightening if he didn't have a mouth full of perfect baby teeth, as immaculate and even as a miniature white picket fence. Tooth couldn't help but coo at the sight.

"Adults!" The child hissed, raising his dagger in a defensive gesture, his spring green-gold eyes cold and wary, with just a hint of fear.

Jack nodded, his chin resting on the boy's crown and his arms draped loosely, ready to restrain or release if the situation called for it. "Yep." He raised his hand and vaguely gestured to the four. "North St. Nickolas, Toothiana, Sanderson Mansnoozie and E. Aster Bunnymund." He couldn't help but put on a fake high-class accent when it came to Bunny's name, making the child giggle slightly. The sputtering coming from said 'E. Aster' was completely worth the posturing that he'd have to deal with later. "Guys, this is Peter Pan, finder of Lost Boys." Jack spoke with the pride of an older brother, ruffling the young one's auburn shaggy hair. "You can trust them," Jack murmured, only for the boy's ear, only to stand up and draw the boy closer.

"Bu-But they're adults!" Peter exclaimed, waving his hand at the guardians in disgust, forgetting that said hand held his dagger.

Jack nodded in understanding, coming around and kneeling at the boy's eye level. "They're the guardians, Peter, I've told you about them."

"Yeah, that they're stuck up, selfish, blind adults." The child huffed, taking a mocking lilt.

"Oi!" Bunny hollered, completely ignored.

In the background, the remaining trio gasped, not understanding the reasoning behind the child's harsh words. "That they are, blind and deaf to us as much as you are ignorant and idiotic to them." Jack said with a playful poke, lessening the harsh words with the light action. It was time to change the subject before Peter dug Jack's grave even deeper. "Now, what were you looking at in that smelly alley?"

Looking back down at the alleyway, Peter's expression fell as he sank down to sit on the nearest ledge overlooking the dumpster. The child spirit didn't have to say anything for Jack to understand. "Did you want my help?" The boy nodded, allowing himself to be gathered into a hug from his big brother.

"I was waiting for the seventh day to be up." Peter murmured, ignoring the tears that wanted to spill in sorrow. "Its almost time."

Taking a calming breath, Jack pulled away enough to kneel in front of the boy and gave a smile, blowing some of his special snowflakes into the younger spirit's face. "Good, then its almost time to bring him to his new home, and that's something to celebrate, isn't it?" Peter nodded, the snowflakes at least bringing a sweet smile to his face. "Alright then, lets get down there and welcome your new Lost Boy." A baby's wail pierced the air and everyone felt the shift in the air. Nodding to himself and taking a steadying breath, Jack kissed Peter's head and they both jumped down beside the dumpster. The alley was dim, with only a half burned out streetlight across the way to light the area. Trash bags were piled in and around the dumpster, like black plastic modern art, concealing where the wailing was coming from. Walking all three exposed sides and peering at the miniscule space between the grungy, graffitied brick wall and the rusted once-green dumpster, Jack could only come to one conclusion. Not wanting to say it out loud, Jack looked up at the sky that shone darkly between the two high-rise buildings and prayed to Manny that he wasn't right. From above, the four adults watched curiously, backlit by the stars and Sandy's golden light.

"Should I?" Jack asked quietly, looking at the green-rust barrier that separated the pathetic mewling from the outside world, "Or would you be able to?"

Taking a half-step back, Peter looked at Jack with wide eyes. "It's a baby."

"Yes, he is." Jack said with a small smile. The younger spirit wouldn't know how to deal with a baby, what with practically being one himself. Stepping up, Jack stood tall and held out a hand, palm up with semi-curled fingers. Whistling a soft lullaby, the crying died down and soon a white-silver glowing orb came out of the dumpster and landed in his hand. "Hello, little bird." Jack spoke softly, bringing the orb to cradle by his heart as it grew and changed into a human shape. His heart broke as he took in the little one's features. It truly was small, a newborn, that was thrown away like the garbage it was surrounded with.

"Jack?" Tooth was the first to flutter down, drawing a reaction from Peter that had the boy drawing his knife again.

"Hey, Sandy?" Jack called, not taking his eyes off the infant, but sensing where the eldest spirit hovered, "Could I have some Sand for her please?"

"Her!" Peter Yelped, pulling on the taller boy's arm, nearly causing him to drop the girl in his rush to see.

"Yes, her," Jack pulled away and flicked Peter's nose in reprimand. "Just because most girls know better than to go and get themselves lost, doesn't mean it doesn't happen." Seeing the boy properly chastised, Jack knelt so that the boy could see his newest charge.

"Oh, the poor girl." Tooth sighed, one hand floating over her mouth and tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "What monsters would just throw away a baby?"

Jack sighed, his free hand up in the air and forming ice around a tendril if Sandy's sand. Bringing down the golden ice cube, he set it at the baby's lips to suckle at, her eyes falling closed and her breath evening out with only the occasional hiccup. "People that feel like they have no choice." Jack kept his voice quiet, mourning the family that never would be. "Either things happen where they can't keep the baby and have no idea what to do, rape victims, women that have no attachment to the child they carry, stillborns, political reasons. It happens, and more frequently in the bigger towns and cities around the world." Ducking down, Jack kissed the girl-infant's downy hair and smelled. She didn't even have the new-baby smell of powder and milk before this happened. "Then there are children like Peter who were carelessly forgotten or abandoned, fell through the cracks of the government or ran away from home. It happens more often than you might think." A bitter note crept into his voice and Jack took a mental step back before he caused an unseasonal blizzard. Already, the alleyway was covered in a fine layer of frost.

Stepping up, Peter tugged at Jack's hoodie, "You want me to carry her, Peterbird?" The boy nodded before bending down to whisper in the sleeping infant's ear, he spoke of promises and warm things, of fun and never being alone again, of being protected and loved. All beautiful things that loving parents and families provided but the lost children found in each other. Where blood wasn't so much important as the feelings they held close. Finishing his speech, Peter stepped back and bit his lip looking at the guardians.

"Um… Bye." Peter waved shyly, now that his bravado was gone, he was like every other six-year-old boy, all baby teeth and unsure how to act around strangers.

"Oh, darling, don't do that, you'll damage your beautiful incisors that way." Tooth gave a friendly smile, gently tugging his lip from between perfect baby teeth. Peter couldn't help but to nod in agreement; the last time he had heard a tone like that was a voice that he couldn't remember the face to, but the feeling of love was there all the same.

"Are you a mother?" Peter hadn't meant to ask, but did anyway. Tooth gave him a bittersweet smile and shook her head.

"Not really. I have little fairies that are like my daughters, but that's it."

"Oh." Peter didn't say sorry, but it was in his voice as he stared down at his mud-crusted leather bootie. "You sound like one."

Jack couldn't help but chuckle as he stood straight and pressed the infant to his chest securely with one hand; she was small enough to do that easily. "Ready to go then, Peterbird? You know how long of a trip it is." In that moment, with Peter's words still in her mind, Tooth looked at Jack and found a young father, not a big brother. She could easily imagine that had he not become a spirit, he would have been a wonderful family man. In the age that he grew up in, he could have easily been starting a family, or at least been married. The children grew up so fast even a hundred years ago, let alone three or four.

"Be careful on your trip!" Tooth started out of her thoughts, seeing the boys start to rise. "Here, take Baby Tooth with you." The small fairy flew from the flock and perched in Jack's hood, secure for their next adventure.

Jack couldn't help but smile and give a half-laugh, welcoming his smallest friend along. "I will, so don't worry. I'll be back as soon as I can and come over so I can tell you how the trip went, ok?" He promised with a wink before looking at Peter and catching the floundering boy with his hook. "C'mon, happy thoughts! Christmas snow and chocolate eggs; mermaids and rainbow feathers." Tossing the boy ahead of him easily, Peter gave a smile about as tentative as his flight path, but eventually evened out as he started naming off some of his own favorites.

"Ha! He said Christmas first!" North crowed in an aside to Bunny, whom rolled his eyes as they all waved the boys off.

"Snow, mate, he said snow," He replied, absently scratching with his hind leg. "Well, let's get this show on the road! We still have the Americas and Burgess to hit before the night's done." He called, barely giving the others warning before he shot off. The best way to not have to think about how they abandoned their own 'Lost Boy' for over three hundred years was to work, and the work for tonight was collecting teeth.


	4. Blood and Bones

Blood and Bones

He was at North's when it happened, the ripping, burning sensation in his very core that told him that something was very, very wrong. Falling to his knees, Jack gasped like he was drowning, grasping at his sweater over his heart. It hurt, hurt, _hurt_ so much. Like when Pitch had snapped his staff in twain. Glancing at the staff clutched in his white-knuckled grasp, it was only momentary relief when he saw it whole, unblemished, as the day that he picked it up off the ice.

Taking a gasping breath, he screamed wordlessly in pain and anger and fear, summoning all his icy prowess as the wind whipped around him in its protective cocoon, blasting all the windows open. Without thought, Jack flew out the nearest window, leaving the other guardians mystified in his wake. Only moments before, Jack was joking along, cradling a cup of eggnog. Now the remnants of a freak blizzard blew around the globe room, covering everything in a thick coating of hoarfrost while the finely painted cup lay broken on the frozen ground. "_Jack_?" North called after, too startled by the abrupt change in atmosphere to use anything except the boy's name. Even if he was heard, the boy was long gone.

Much further south, Jack flew on, mainly without thought beyond abject denial and the urge to go faster, that he would never be fast enough. Reaching Burgess, specifically his pond, the eternal teenager landed, kicking up mud and dirt like an invisible meteorite striking the barren earth. Releasing a hollow scream, Jack whipped his staff around, blasting ice and wind in every direction that he could reach, terrifying the grown men that stood at the edge of the ageless pond, wearing orange and yellow vests with matching hats. Machines, machines were around his pond, raping the sacred ground and distorting what which had lain untouched for over three hundred years.

"Leave!" Jack billowed, the wind blasting his anguished, bodiless voice around, echoing off the cliffside and ancient trees. "Leave me alone!" The words themselves didn't reach the unbelieving adults in the strange clothing, but the intent was clear as the warm autumn day suddenly took on the likeness of a heartlessly cold day of January, dark grey clouds gathering and swirling ominously overhead.

"Boss, you need to come see this!" A man shouted as he emerged from the water, wearing skin-tight black clothes with a strange cylinder strapped to his back. "I think these are human." Screaming in time with Jack's voice, the wind whipped around the clearing, frothing the very water of the pond and blinding every human in the clearing with decaying leaves and heavy, thick snow.

"Leave!" Jack's unheard voice gaining an edge of hysteria as he whipped the environment into an unseasonal blizzard, only resulting in the heartiest of humans huddling further into their light clothing while the less apt ran at the seeming explosion mere moments beforehand. The man that emerged from the water held something up, laying it out for the others to see on the bank. Bones. Human and discolored with mud. "Please…" At seeing what the man held, the precious proof of his mortal life, Jack collapsed to his knees, staring at the proof that he did, indeed, exist at one time. "Just… leave me be." He sobbed out, his tears crystallizing on his cheeks. He had no shame; the Ignorant could not see him. He wished, pleaded that the humans would realize what they were doing, what pain they were putting him through as the wind sang its mournful tune as it wound through the surrounding trees.

The storm that he had worked up quickly died, flakes dancing in what, any other time, would be a merry way as they were tossed about, though they still were heavy and filled with sorrow. One man knelt by where the man in the wet clothing laid the bones, picking up a long slender one to examine it, not hearing the pained moan that the bone's owner let out. "Yeah, it's human." The man sighed, tossing the bone back on top of the other bones that were brought to the surface. "Looks like we got ourselves a body dump boys. Someone call the authorities."

"Frostbite?" The word was as soft as the paw that was laid on his shoulder. Jack whimpered, collapsing into himself as he watched the man stand up and callously threw the bones back into the pond. "You scared us back there, mate."

"Hey, what are you doing?" A teenage boy with brown hair and a plaid trapper hat called, standing at the crest of the hill and taking in what was happening mere feet from his back yard. He had heard that there was going to be some construction in town, but not exactly where. Following the signs of Jack coming back to town, he was startled to see yellow-orange backhoes and various other machines parked next to the pond, as well as an empty water truck and a dump truck's worth of fill dirt off to the side. The adults generally ignored the child, opting to keep to their jobs, but keeping an eye out in case they had to physically remove the troublemaker.

Walking down the hill, hands stuffed into his jacket in a similar way to his hero, the teenager stepped up beside the gathered guardians, where they stood around a kneeling Jack. "Jamie." North greeted the Last Light with a nod as he came to a stop. Greeting the invisible spirits back with a small nod and a look out of the corner of his eye, Jamie turned a scowl to what he could see.

"_I said_: what are you doing here?" Jamie called out over the wind, since the stupid adults _obviously_ couldn't hear him the first time.

"Get out of here kid, go play some video games or something." One of the men finally acknowledged the 'only' person in the clearing that obviously didn't belong there.

"No," His glare could peel paint, "Not until you tell me what you're doing to Jack's pond!"

"Who the hell is Jack?" one of the louder men in the construction crew asked, obviously not a local, judging from his accent and not knowing. Everyone knew that it was Jack's pond. Not necessarily that it was Jack _Frost's_ pond, but everyone grew up with the stories from colonial times and the boy named Jack. The legend went that a Colonial boy named Jack drowned in the pond one winter, and ever since the pond was always frozen solid, or at the least too cold to swim in. It was something of a local mystery.

"Boss." The man that was on the phone tapped the leader's arm, grabbing his attention. "The cops are on their way. They told us to clear out." Nodding, the man gave a whistle and waved his arm in a sharp gesture.

"Everyone back off. Turn off the CATs and up the hill. Jerry, outta the water."

"Gladly." The man in the skintight black suit complied, pulling himself up onto one of the rocks before taking off long black flippers so that he could walk on land.

Watching the adults leave with cold eyes, Jamie finally turned and knelt next to Jack, drawing the young immortal's glazed gaze. "What happened?" He asked softly, not liking the look in his friend's eye.

"That's what we'd like to know, ankle-biter." Bunny gruffed, standing back with his arms crossed, clearly uncomfortable… or cold. His fur was sticking up on end and dusted with heavy snowflakes, at the least.

After years of knowing the immortals, Jamie was easily able to bypass the tone to hear the worry in the Pooka's voice. "Those were yours, weren't they?" At that, Tooth gasped, her hand flying over her mouth in shock. "They finally found your body."

"What do you mean, body?" North asked while Sandy had a giant question mark floating over his head. "Is impossible. Would mean Jack is…"

"Dead, yeah. I thought you all were." Jamie spoke for his friend after getting silent permission. "Jack drowned over 300 years ago, saving his sister from the breaking ice. I thought you all knew that." Jamie had only found out about it last winter after a particularly warm week had weakened the ice enough that Jack had panicked when he saw his mortal friends skating on his lake.

"No, we were all alive when Manny made us guardians." Tooth murmured, the hand not over her mouth hovering in indecision over Jack's shoulder. She wanted to comfort the boy, but he was still uncomfortable about most forms of touch. "We assumed the same had happened to Jack."

Jamie settled in, ignoring how his pants were now soaked with half-melted snow and mud, and waited next to Jack to see what would happen next. Oddly, Jamie hadn't felt the deep sting of uncomfortable cold for years now, not since he had met Jack. He didn't know whether it was a gift from the colonial or a side-effect from always being outside.

Soon enough, an investigation team from one of the bigger cities showed up, bringing their own swimming equipment. As the new man in an identical black tight suit (Scuba diver, Jamie supplied later) dove down, Jamie kept his hand on Jack's arm, squeezing it in both silent companionship and to keep the immortal teen from lashing out at the new group.

"Don't worry Jack, I don't think these men want to desecrate your body. They just want to find out how you died." Jamie murmured, watching with a close eye and a closed expression.

"Hello." One of the new people waved with a smile, "This isn't exactly something to watch, especially with how cold it is here. The weather here is crazy!" The woman shivered theatrically.

"I want to watch." Jamie replied in a no-nonsense tone. "The construction crew found Jack's bones and he's not happy."

"Who's Jack?" The woman asked, her demeanor still pleasant, but her eyes had grown sharp with the knowledge that the kid knew something.

"Jackson Overland. This is his pond."

The way that the teenage boy sitting in the snow spoke like it was a fact set off a shock of suspicion in her mind. "A friend of yours?"

Jamie tilted his head in an indecisive way, "I'd like to think so. I study the local legends and I've talked to his ghost a few times." Jamie smirked at his own joke. "Even if he doesn't reply sometimes, I'd expect a three-century old ghost to be lonely enough to listen to a teenager's sulking."

"So, you don't think this is one of the local missing persons?"

What the woman didn't see was Jack's jerk as the diver found his first bone and brought it up to the surface. "No. The legend says that the pond is nearly always frozen solid except for the middle of summer, and I believe it. I've been playing on this pond my whole life since I live just up there." He gestured just up the hill with his head while he watched Jack. The diver was slowly bringing up bones and lying them out on a tarp-covered gurney, displaying them to make sure that they found all the pieces. "And when you do find out that you're desecrating a three-hundred-year-old grave, please call me so that they can be put under his gravestone. I think Jack would appreciate that." If anything, Jack grew paler at the thought of his grave and finally getting his proper burial. He vaguely remembered the funeral he ran across the first spring he was a spirit, and the colony burying an empty casket as soon as the ground was thawed enough to dig into.

It took a breath and a mental reminder that he had to actually move, to say something, for Jack to nod in agreement to Jamie's request. The woman opened her mouth to say something, but the diver popped out of the water, holding a sphere-like object aloft, "I found the skull!" His enthusiasm was met with reprimanding looks and a frigid blast of air, but he was undeterred. "And lookee that, not a blemish on the thing. Teeth are white too, and not a filling to see. Can't wait to get this back to the lab." The youngish man exclaimed, placing it proudly at the top of the gurney, above the smattering of ribs and long bones. The short bones, such as the vertebrae, foot and hand bones would take sifting through the accumulated debris in detail.

What he didn't know, was that the skull's owner was standing right behind him, about as ghost-like as the boy had ever acted, a dead expression on his face as he confronted, well, himself. Even with an insulated scuba suit on, the young man shivered, feeling the ghost's presence. Tooth hovered on the other side of the gurney, looking from Jack to his bones and back. "So your teeth were always this beautiful then, right Jack?" She asked, trying to lighten the mood, but her smile quickly faltered and fell like a card tower. "Oh, honey, I'm so, so sorry." She couldn't stop it anymore, she flew around the gurney and attached herself to his person, pressing his ear to her breast and softly stroked his snowy hair.

As the diver turned to continue, one arm accidently went through the spirit and Jack gasped in pain. He was numb, but the stab of Ignorance still burned like placing his hand in a campfire. "Here, lets go back and sit with the others." Tooth spoke gently, pulling Jack away from the gurney and the immediate possibility of being walked through, again. If she was Jack, she wouldn't want to leave her… bones with anyone else either. She saw the odd, semi-detached look in his eye and pulled him back to the gathering.

As afternoon wore on to dusk, floodlights were brought in and mud sifters were assembled. Buckets were filled with 'evidence' and a pair of rusted ice skates were brought up, still attached, if barely, to rotting leather boots in a very, very old style. Jamie had gone home for a short while, only to bring a large thermos of hot cocoa and a wool blanket to cover the muddy ground with. Minutes later, the rest of his friends started to show up as well, grimly watching the morbid project as they sat amongst immortals, sipping cocoa that North quietly complimented. It was odd to see a single teenager with multiple cups for his drink, but surrounded by friends, the forensic people didn't bother to notice a few extra mugs that appeared and disappeared as they were set down and picked up.

Near midnight, the signal was given to wrap things up, they had found just about as many things as they could. The tent shelter was torn down, the bones bagged up, and the lights turned off. Their last clue was the female investigator coming back over to ask for Jamie's contact information. Of what she had seen that afternoon, even without doing any major testing, she could tell that the things they pulled out were old. The teenager's story had a kernel of possibility after all. With one last plead to keep him updated and a hurried assurance, the last of the team left the teenagers and immortals alone in the dark.

"Well, show's over, time to get back home." Claude stood up, shivering, "See ya later, Bennett. Guys." The teen nodded and pulled up his brother casually, hiding a squeeze to Jack's shoulder in the motion. He was one that still believed, but never said anything out loud, _just in case._

* * *

"Jamie, phone!" Mrs. Bennett yelled up the hall, hoping that she was heard over the radio blasting in her eldest's room.

"Got it!" He yelled back a moment later, after a moment of startling silence in the wake of the blaring music. Upstairs, Jamie cleared his throat before purring a 'hello' into the phone.

"Oh, hi, I'm calling about the bones; you said that you wanted us to keep you informed, correct?" A cheery voice responded, not quite sure how to respond to the flirtatious greeting from a kid half her age, but plowing through anyway.

"Oh! Ah," The teen squeaked in embarrassment and covered it with a cough. "Yeah. So, what did you find?"

"Well, we couldn't confirm that the bones belong to a _Jack Overland_, but we could at least date them to around the time the colonies started. If you wouldn't mind helping, and if the city agrees, we were planning on giving them a proper burial in Burgess Cemetery."

"Th-thank you." Jamie practically whispered into the phone. His non-existent asthma must be kicking up, making his throat tight. And the roof must be leaking as well, and dripping on his face. A busted pipe or something. "I'm sure that Jack would appreciate that."


	5. E is for

"Hey, Bunny, what does the 'E' stand for?"

"The what? Mate, you're making no sense." Bunny put the finishing touches on the specialty egg he was working on, an off-season experiment with the yolk blown out so that it would keep longer.

"Y'know, the E!" Hanging from a branch with his knees, he debated tugging on a long ear that hovered just beyond his reach. "Does it stand for Edward or Edmund… no, that would be too many '-mund's." he mumbled to himself, absently swinging. "Oh, how about _Earl_?"

Deigning to look at the blue monkey swinging above his head, Bunny raised a brow, "Earl?"

"um-hm, Earl."

"No." And he went back to the rhinestone he was carefully setting.

"Edger?"

"Ethan!" Jack hummed, "No, you don't look like and Ethan to me." And continued on with a grunt from Bunny.

"Elliot?"

"No"

"Eric? Evan? Engleburt?"

"Ok, now you're just making names up."

"No, I read it in one of those baby name books that were popular a few years ago. Some mom-to-be left it on a park bench." Jack shrugged, putting his hands in his hoodie pocket to keep his shirt down, up, whatever. "So… Elmer?"

"Glue? Nah, I'm good mate, I use my own paste mix. Better for the environment that way."

"No, I meant is your name… Nevermind. Oh, oh, is it Egbert?"

Bunny's response was to aim a yellow stripe of paint from Jack's nose to the crown of his head, without bothering to look up.

"…Not Egbert. It's a good Easter-themed name!" Blinking in realization, Jack groaned, "_Please_ don't tell me the 'E' actually stands for Easter. That's so… dorky."

Raising his eye up to stare at Jack, he just gave a smirk to rival the Guardian of Fun's "I wonder."

"No! Just, no! How about Erwin? It's a nice Australian name."

"Doesn't that start with an 'I'?"

Jack raised his finger and opened his mouth to respond, then tilted his head to the side, "Y'know, I think that guy's name _did_ start with an 'I'. How about Elvis then? You have to know about Elvis."

"'M sorry, who?"

"_Elvis_! You know, _the King_ of Rock'n'Roll? Jailhouse Rock? Hound Dog? All Shook Up?"

"Need I repeat myself."

"Bunny, we need to get you out more. I can't believe you don't know who _The King_ is!" Throwing up his hands, Jack used the momentum to swing back on top of the branch he was sitting on. "How about Elijah then, that's a nice classical name."

"Knew an Elijah once," Bunny mused, holding his egg up for inspection, "They wrote an entire chapter about him in some book over two-thousand years ago, if I remember correctly."

"Ok, last guess, for now; is it Elmo?"

"Like the kid's puppet character?"

"Ah, so that's where I heard that name!"

"No."

"C'mon, how about you just tell me what it stands for!"

"Hmm… no." Bunny kept his ears up and his face neutral as he added just a pinch of glitter as a finishing touch. Secretly, he was amused at some of the names the kid had come up with, but he would never guess that the 'E' was just that, and 'E'.

(O)

And it could go on, and on, and on.

Sorry if I happened to mock someone's name, it was pure coincidence and take it with a grain of salt.


	6. Bedmate

Easter day, there was only one thing on his mind. After the hectic two weeks of painting all his precious eggs, then hiding each and every one around the entire globe, he was tired. All the googies were now under the ownership of the anklebiters of the world, there wasn't a disaster in sight all day, and his nest was calling ever-so sweetly.

Aster pushed aside the curtain over the entrance to his personal nesting room, his whole body thrown into a yawn that nearly unhinged his jaw. Blinking away his fatigue for a handful more steps, barely enough to remember to take off his bandolier and bracers before turning to his nest. Stopping in surprise, all he could do was blink. It wasn't so much as his nest was different from what he left it, but more like what was _on_ his nest.

"…Frostbite, is that you?" Aster asked, carefully circling the nest and its sleeping occupant, pillow firmly clutched between front hands- no, paws. Kneeling down, Aster took a deep whiff, his brows furrowed. It smelled like Jack, alright, but that was not what the winter sprite usually looked like.

"Mmm?" Cracking open one crystalline blue eye, Jack looked up at Aster's shocked face and shot the older guardian his signature crooked smile. "Oh, hey Kangaroo. How was Easter?"

"Good. You, uh…?" Sitting back on his haunches, He gave room for Jack to sit up, one long white ear flopping into his face.

"Oh, this?" Jack gestured to himself with one paw and brushed the errant ear out of his face. "How do I look? Did I get everything right?" The subject had come up before, that pure spirits, particularly spirits connected with nature, had transient physical forms. They looked exactly like they wanted to look like since they weren't connected with a physical body. It's just most decided to remain as close to their original appearance as possible. It had been quite the interesting conversation, seeing as they had started off by talking to a friend of Jack's that had taught him that fact when he was nearly a 'newborn' spirit. Apparently, the boy had a few forms that he enjoyed, but they had never seen any of them.

"Y'look good, Frostbite." Bunny choked out, a look in his eye that had Jack frowning (cutely, Aster thought absently) before sitting up properly.

"Do you want me to change back?" His ears pressed back, readying to leave the nest to Aster after the bunny's rejection.

"No!" Aster started, holding his hands up to grab the boy, stopping himself at the last moment. "No, its fine. You just surprised me." He took his hands back, not touching the boy unless he initiated contact first. They had all learned that three hundreds of not a single soul actually _touching_ you did things. Taking a fortifying breath, Aster slowly raised a hand and hovered barely a finger width over Jack's snowy head, maintaining eye contact the entire time. After a moment, Jack blinked and raised his head enough to initiate contact. "I thought that you could only do animals you knew well that lived in the cold climates."

It was more of a question and Jack treated it as such, shrugging as Aster gently brought forward an ear to study it closer. "It's easier to do animals that I know well, but I could do a parrot or elephant if I really wanted to. I actually based this one partially on the Arctic hares."

Aster nodded, so that explained the pure white pelt, sans the black tips on his ears. "Your first try?" Jack nodded and tried to relax while Aster was scrutinizing his transformation. The Pooka had yet to actually let go of his ear, and was actually rubbing his thumb absently in the short hairs along the back. With his other hand, he ran his fingers through the thick winter coat with a thoughtful frown. Seeing Jack as a Pooka cemented some things that he had absently known since the first time he had run across the kit- kid! Child all those years ago. First, he was young. In this form, he had a wonderful winter coat, but it was still mostly made of soft baby hairs with only the occasional adult guard hair. Had he grown up as a Pooka, he would have been considered an adult within the next few seasons, after his adult guards and personal markings grew in.

Running his hand over Jack's ruff and torso, he realized just how skinny the boy was, damn near gaunt with starvation and Aster bit back a mournful whine. While spirits could change shape, their relative body structure stayed the same: if they were obese, they would always be comparatively obese. And equally as skinny, or muscular, healthy or malformed as they were in their original body. If it would have done anything, he would have sat Jack down for a proper meal right then and there. Taking Jack's hand, he gently pulled the boy from the nest. "Stand up straight for me." Jack did so, wobbling on strange legs and holding Aster's arm in a death grip. Not including his ears, Jack's changed form only gained him… around two finger width's worth of height and Aster had to chuckle at that. The boy was certainly a runt of a Pooka.

Biting back his own yawn, Jack settled back onto his haunches in a posture he was used to in nearly every form he had experimented with. "Sorry, first transformations are hard." Aster grunted in agreement, settling into a three-point stance himself. He didn't use it often, but transformation was a necessary skill for all kits to learn before they left the home nest, and they tended to wipe him out as well. Stretching, Aster all but fell into his nest face-first before curling up into a loose ball. "So, uh… I guess I should leave you alone now?" Jack made to leave, grabbing his hoodie from where he had it folded in a corner.

Grunting, Aster watched Jack make for the door, "And just where are you going, Frost?"

"Back north," he replied loosely with a shrug, "Or south, since I'm here. Find someplace to sleep for the summer."

"Here." Aster said, point-blank. "I disturbed your sleep first, so get your bloomin' arse back to the nest already."

Jack froze, not daring to see if Bunny's expression met his last sentence. "Now, Frost. I'm tired." Slumping with as much theatrics as he could muster that time of year, Jack finally turned around, using the front paw not holding onto his sweater in a three-point hop-walk to slink back to the nest, crawling in behind Aster and curling up on the very edge. With a huff, Aster rolled over quicker than Jack could anticipate and grabbed the youngling, pulling him back over Aster and into the center of the nest, despite his squawk of surprise and flailing. Aster held him close, ignoring the flailing limbs that weren't making a single strike on the larger body until he calmed and somewhat settled. Making a mental note to teach Jack how to use his Pooka body accurately come fall, if the boy wanted to, Aster Adjusted his grip and curled around the boy. He would happily pretend that Jack was a kit, a younger brother, at least for the night and protect him as instinct demanded: by curling over and around the kit, to defend from the weather and predators.

Settling down with a quiet huff, Jack absently carded at Aster's ruff as his eyes slid shut. It was incredibly warm, being held by the elder guardian like this; warm and protected. He felt a few licks to his forehead before Aster rubbed his chin on the crown of his head, marking the boy. He knew it was more instinct-driven than conscious thought, but Jack smiled and gave a few more scratches back in thank you. "G'night Aster."

The Pooka froze for a moment before giving Jack's crown another cleaning lick. "Night, Jack." And with that, they both settled down for a nap. While one's would last a good week, the other would claim the nest for the rest of the summer, though the one didn't mind. Sometimes it was nice to have a bedmate every once in a while and pretend that they weren't as alone as it seemed.


End file.
